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April 19, 2010

European Air Travel Partially Resumes, Despite Volcano

Smoke and ash hangs over the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland, which has erupted for the second time in less than a month, melting ice, shooting smoke and steam into the air and forcing hundreds of people to flee rising floodwaters. – Reuters Photo

Starting Monday, April 19, 2010, Europe began to untangle itself from the hold of the volcanic eruption debris that had planes grounded, both to and from the region, since last week.

Monday evening, three KLM passenger flights were allowed to leave Schiphol airport in Amsterdam during daylight under visual flight rules bound for New York, Dubai and Shanghai. In London, it is reported that the eruption seems to be strengthening and sending more ash and debris towards Britain, making it unlikely that London airports will reopen on Tuesday, April 20.

European transportation ministers have divided the airspace over the European skies into three areas: the "no-fly" zone (airspace immediately over the ash cloud), the "caution" zone (airspace areas with "some contamination" where planes can fly, subject to engine checks for damage), and the "open-skies" zone. The transportation ministers have been quoted as saying that there will be more planes in the skies beginning Tuesday morning.